Sometimes it takes a challenge from an outsider or mentor in our lives to jump start our readiness to move beyond where we are now and get to where we want to be. One of those people for me if Jeffrey Gotomer. Every week or so I get one of his edgy - yet full of wisdom - sales and marketing newsletters. Gitomer pushes me to think about where my own career is going and how I can better help my clients and students. His column in the most recent newsletter had a couple of great questions (see below) in it that got my wheels turning and will probably do the same for you. Click here to read the whole column.

BIG QUESTION: What are you “accepting” right now that you might be able to change if you took a few more risks, or were willing to put in a bit more (or a lot more) effort?

BIGGER QUESTION: What are the three of four things in your life that you “wish” were different than they are now? And what the hell are you waiting for? Don’t you hate waiting? Traffic. Late flights. Long lines. On hold. Slow service. You do everything you can to avoid a 10-minute or 60-minute wait, yet you’re willing to wait YEARS to achieve your life’s desire. Not me. I’m not waiting for anything or anyone. I don’t accept waiting, either in a doctor’s office or in life.

Though Gitomer's own answers may be different from mine or yours, his questions are so important for all of us to ask. What are YOU putting up with or even simply tolerating that you'd like to change? Here are a couple of mine that I share freely along with what I am doing to make them different. In no particular order...

My weight - though still fairly fit and athletic, a few extra pounds have crept up on me the last couple of years. To combat this I have reduced my caloric intake, reduced alcohol consumption, increased water intake and upped my workout time and intensity.

The disarray in my office(s) - every day for the last week or so I have taken time to go through old files, magazines, mail, etc and put things where they belong - either in a to do pile, a file or the trash.

Economic slowdown - created and implemented a new marketing plan, revisited my goals, designed and ordered new business cards, created a call list of clients for each week, found new partners and avenues with which to cross promote myself.

I could list a number of other things I'd like to change but that's enough for now. The point for me is to do something about the areas that make me the most uneasy or discontented and make changes today. Little by little I see myself getting to where it is I really want to be and you can too...please let me know if I can be of help in your planning and process.

Felicia